She just sat there
by Lilysofheaven
Summary: Unbeknownst to her friends and colleagues, she was something more than just a high school teen loving ghost stories. Oh no, she just didn't tell ghost stories, she lived one. MaiXNaru plus other pairings with what's this? Mai? Reviewers are ALWAYS welcome
1. Prolouge

31/05/2007 19:29:00

**Hi! Its me Lilysofheaven, and I do wish that you enjoy this story! I hope that you'll review! Please review! Even if it's anonymous!**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She just sat there, fully unaware that five people were watching her. They watched her closely and intently… They were close to her, very close… But as for the pair of eyes in the corner… depends on your definition of_ close._

She sat up right at her table, petite legs curled up underneath her, long hair dripping from the evening shower, and hands with slender fingers holding a cute little mug, raising it to her lips occasionally with a barely audible slurp.

Her lavish pink lips twitched at the corners; eyebrows were raised in a clear sign of irritation, and then those lips that sipped the tea parted and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Get. Out." They whispered, barely heard by those five friends of hers, huddled around dozens of TV screens buildings away.

A light breeze passed by her.

"I said get out."

"…"

Eyes of red now appeared to all that looked into Mai's dinning room.

She violently slammed down her cup in one fluid motion, causing dozens of tiny porcelain pieces to scatter everywhere. One caught her in the neck; how ironic she was sliced there. Her blood now left its crimson trail down her pearly white skin; Mai's eyes opened instantly, and flared.

"I told you to **GET OUT**! If you even think that you can get me like you did my parents and my brother you are _sorely_ mistaken!"

And with that, this petite, innocent looking girl pulled out a silver pink tinted gun and fired in the direction of the eyes that she feared all those years. Yes, _those _years. She no longer feared them anymore.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Okay, so please review, and oh yeah, I'll write more chapters, but until I get at least 5 reviews from **_**different**_** people, I won't post them. Yes, I know I might be blackmailing you, but COME ON! An author can't write if she thinks her work isn't appreciated! Hahaha… just joking, but I'm serious about the posting thing, so PLEASE review! Ja ne!**


	2. Setting the Stage

**Hi everyone! I'm happy that you reviewed! In this section, it will be confusing for you, I guarantee it, but I'm trying to set the stage for you so you can infer what happened in Mai's past, and help to predict what leads up to the prologue. I wanted to put her feelings out in the open so people could… I don't know… feel that this story is more alive? Yeah, that sounds lame, but if I ever get into a good story then it seems like it comes alive; I only hope that I can do that for you all. Thank you… and yeah, please no flames on this, the bottom will explain more!**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Now our story begins in a town miles away from Tokyo in a more secluded, peaceful neighborhood. The leaves on the trees have just begun their transformation from moist, green shapes, to fit the settings of the coming autumn. Their edges outline the florescent greens with a deep crimson or a seducing orange, sometimes even a blinding yellow here or there. But this has gone unnoticed by everyone except for one. The one named Mai Taniyama. The one who when not at work or school places herself on her balcony and just sits. She just sits there, thinking. Thinking of the things that could have been, thinking of the smiles, the joy, the security that she could have experienced if only- her dreaming thoughts would turn to thoughts of reality. She could have had that life of smiles and joy, but no. She had one of tears, fear, pain…._ loss_. It had come to the point where she didn't know what to do anymore… Should she run and hide? Hoping, praying to whatever god was out there would hear her cries and hide her from Him? No… she had already pulled it off twice, once six years ago and then again just three years later. No, she couldn't. He had caught her scent. The scent He hunted for years, the scent she wished to be rid of… the scent He loved to taste.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Alright everybody, I understand that this isn't what you would call chapter, and if I were to call it that, I would be lying to you; thus the reason why I named this section of my story the setting. I want all my readers to feel the mood of my story. The mood that Mai deals with constantly… oopppss, shouldn't have said that… oh well I was going to include this in my second chapter, but I already have a chapter starter in there, so I thought what the heck and decided to give you guys a heads start. After all you guys did review! I'm so happy that people enjoy my story. My next chapter will be posted by the latest on Thursday (what the heck, it might even come up by Sunday if I get sick of studying for my finals!) Thanks for the reviews everyone; I'd love it if you continue to review, maybe giving me a few pointers here and there? That'd be great… after all this is only my third fanfic! I'm so excited! Sorry, guess I got carried away… See ya!**


	3. Tales of a cursed past

_My friends at the SPR don't know as much about me as they think. So far we had only encountered spirits at not very high levels of strength. They have not encountered any demons; yes they, them, my friends, Naru-chan, Masako, Ayako, and Monk-san. They might not have encountered any, but I have. Eight years ago on the night of the red moon._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mai, that is quite enough, I hardy think that I can drink from my cup when it's over flowing."

"Wha-? Huh? Aaahh! Oh MAN!" A girl nearing womanhood now let her head droop. She had done it again. She had become lost in thoughts of the past, which had caused her to pour Naru much, more tea than his cup could hold.

"Mai, if you're just going to stand there like a statue, then I mind as well get a dead man to pour my tea _and_ clean up the mess."

"Well I think that's a swell idea Naru-_chan_! Why, after all the dead people we've encountered, I'm sure that one would love to be of service to you!" Mai retorted, trying to sound as sarcastic as she could without sounding lame. Naru just bent his head and sighed in a disapproving sort of way.

"Mai, I do believe I asked you for tea." Mai just stood there, stock-still. He had the daring to tell her to get him tea when she was in the middle of doing something? Like for example cleaning up the spilled brown liquid up from the coffee table that was beginning to drip onto the floor perhaps? The task that he had asked, no scratch that, _told_ her to do? Wait, why was she surprised? This was Naru she was talking about. The most narcissistic, controlling, commanding, stubborn, uncaring, cold, mono-toned, freak of a man in the world!

'**But he is good looking…'** A slight blush rose to her face making her cheeks resemble the pinkish color of blossoming roses. Oooohhh! Did her inner side have to say things like that?

At that moment, Ayako and Monk-san decided to make their glorious entrance:

"Earth spirit my butt Ayako! It was obviously just your imagination!"

"No it wasn't! Someone called me for a _reason_ I know it! I know what I heard…. which was nothing! Nothing except for something that I couldn't understand! It was in a different language probably! Maybe you just didn't hear it because you're getting deaf with age old man!"

"Hey! You're probably older than me! And anyways, it might also have been a prank, didn't you ever think of that? Halloween's only six days away!"

CRASH! All heads in the room turned to the source of the sound; Mai. All through the two lovers' lovely display of love, she had been preparing more tea for Naru. She had just begun to pour it into Naru's clean cup when Monk-san had mentioned Halloween, and the pot had slipped from her fingers.

"Halloween…" Mai whispered with a distant look in her eye, "O-only six days away did you say, Monk-san?" Apparently oblivious to the fact that she had just broken Naru's teapot and had spilled even more tea than before.

"Yeah I did Mai… Mai, is everything all right? You didn't get enough sleep again did you?"

Mai snapped into attention, and went ballistic. "Aaahhh! Oh my god! Now I have to clean up glass and more tea! Aaaahhhh! Jeezz! First the calls, then the noises, the shadows, the vampires, the laughter, the blood, over-pouring the tea, and now _this? _Could this day get any worse?" Mai slumped down to the floor and began to repeatedly slam her head into the coffee table.

"Whoa, whoa Mai, chill out." Monk-san, "Ya know, I think that you and me need to- no all of us need to have a talk with you, but first, let's get this mess cleaned up shall we?"

Mai could only managed a nod and straighten herself up as Monk-san helped her to her feet. All the while Mai and Monk-san were cleaning up the bits of glass, and sopping up the tea, Naru's eyes never left Mai. He knew something was wrong, and concluded that he wouldn't let Mai leave until she spilled the beans.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mai! Stop it! You can't avoid the subject! Come back here you little-! AAAHHH!" Monk-san was cut off as a chair cushion was slammed into his face. The culprit: Mai Tanyama.

After cleaning up the tea, everyone had sat Mai down on the couch and had literally told her to spill her guts. Though all they got was a confused look with skinny arms crossed over a slim body's chest, with a defiant gleam of the eyes. She confirmed that nothing was wrong, and she had no idea what anyone was talking about. Obviously Monk-san had not liked that response, and had gone a little too into Mai's personal space, ending with a pillow in the man's face.

"No. I told you, I have nothing to hid- Hey! What are you talking about? Come on Naru I know that look! What do you mean 'camera' and 'completely irrational'!" Mai lashed out at Naru who was currently talking to Lin under his breathe about something involving a camera and a lot of other things that Mai hadn't heard, or didn't understand.

"Mai. Would you quit your screaming? It's very unsettling and unbecoming of you.., Plus, I fear that you'll scare away all my customers…" Naru smirked at the look of rage on her face; Naru had always been sort of turned on when Mai was a bit angry…He thought it was cute.

Mai twirled around, eyes searching for something around the small room.

"Hey! Where'd Lin go? Naru you'd had better not be planning something that has to do with me! Naru are you even listening to me? Hey-" Currently, Mai had to be held back by Monk-san as she had almost launched herself at Naru, while he just stood there, sipping the water that he had gotten for _himself_ since Mai was 'obviously incapable of just doing that.' (Snort, yeah right says that author)

_'Wow, that could have been bad. Phew, thank you, Monk-san!' _Naru thought, though he'd never admit it, but he was kind of scared of Mai when she was like this… all mad and all thanks to what he said, or really what he _didn't _say. Really, he was amazed and felt very successful when he managed to get her so shaken by just speaking a few words.

"Hey every body! How's it goin-" John froze mid-sentence when he saw what was currently going on in the SPR living room.

Here, I'll just list out what this scene looks like because it's too much to include in a sentence:

Mai had Monk-san in a headlock because he restrained her

Naru was lazily leaning against a door framing sipping his water, and rolling his eyes

Ayako had her arms wrapped around Mai's stomach while she tried to get her off of her husband (yes, Aayko and Monk-san are married)

Walking up behind him, Masako decided to make her presence known.

"John, I can't see how you're surprised about this. Mai's always causing trouble…" Masako pointed out, as she gracefully swept her hand in Mai's direction. Everyone looked up from what they were doing, and immediately let go of each other giving laughing nervously while Naru just left the room entirely.

"Umm, do I want to ask?" John said, giving everyone a look that said 'What did Naru say to Mai _now_?'

"No! It's okay now!" Mai pretend-laughed as Monk-san just gave her a disapproving look for still trying to avoid the situation.

"Yes, actually, I think it's better that everyone is here now so Mai doesn't have to repeat what she tells us. Right Mai?" Monk-san looked at her has he pushed on her shoulders in an attempt to make her sit on the couch.

"Alright fine, you win, but don't make me say I told ya so…" Mai sighed and took a deep breath so as to gather her thoughts. Meanwhile, Monk-san told John and Masako what had happened before their sudden arrival.

After everyone was settled, and Naru had returned from what everyone learned was a call from Lin, Mai began to tell her story, from start finish, and beginning with what happened hundreds of years ago.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, first of all, all of you have to understand that vampires are real. Their race has been around longer than the human's and you also need to understand that their government is practically a monarchy with dynasties and such. You also need to know that even though there are many fewer vampires today, they are only so many that are on the human side. Actually if I knew their names, I could list them off to you now on my right hand. Hundreds of years ago, only two groups knew of the existence of vampires. One group was the hunters, and the second were vampires themselves. The hunters were usually involved with the churches, as the church was the most sacred place. There, hunter/priests would educate and teach wannabe-hunters all they needed to know about killing vampires. One priest in particular, whose name I could never remember, was my great-great-great-great-grandfather." Mai confirmed, nodding her head with each great she added.

"My great-great-great-great-grandfather was successful in killing the Vampire King's queen, which you can imagine didn't exactly make the Vampire King happy. (He's gonna be named the VK coz I don't want to write out Vampire King each time). So the priest and the VK were in constant battle, trying to kill each other off until the VK suddenly didn't appear any more; no doubt he was planning his revenge. The priest, though still wary of the VK, married a woman and had my great-great-great-grandmother, Hitomi. They raised her to be a hunter as well, and also to be like a boy, I know this sounds strange, but they wanted her to be as strong, brave and tough as a man could be, so she wouldn't be an easy target for vampires. I might add that vampires like the taste of a female's blood more than a male's for reasons I don't know, beside that they just do. So she grew up acting, talking, and looking like a boy. All of this paid off when the VK showed himself again. He killed the priest and his wife, and also laid a curse on their family generations to come. When he noticed Hitomi, he told her the curse straight out; all the females of our family's generations to come would belong to him. He told Hitomi to marry herself a wife and have daughters. The king didn't notice that Hitomi was actually a girl, thus he didn't kill her."

"I can guess that was because of all the scents of blood mixed in the air the vampire's senses weren't as clear as they usually are, so he didn't notice that Hitomi was in fact a girl. Anyway, Hitomi, afraid of other vampire attacks, continued with her disguised form, and left Japan for one of the colonies in America. There, she met a hunter who taught her more skills in fighting vampires. He eventually found out about Hitomi's secret, and was kind enough to keep it that way. In the years after, they were always together, as partners in vampire hunting missions. Soon they married and had a son that they named Alfeegi, who they raised to be a hunter as well; thanks to that, he became one of the most feared hunters for the vampires. He accomplished this in the Civil War of the United States when he was able to hold off the VK at the battle of-"

"Wait a minute. The civil war? What does that-" Monk-san looked at Mai, but she just smiled, shook her head, and continued.

"Yes, the civil war. If you can remember from your education Monk-san, the Confederacy was made up of mostly slave owners, whilst the Union was made up with people against slavery. Alfeegi was one of the generals on the North side-"

"But what does this have to do with vampires? Why would-"

"Ayako, the slave owners of the early 1800s weren't really who they said they were. They were vampires. More than 3/4s were, to be exact."

"But why would they want slaves…Oh…"

Mai sighed as Ayako and the others finally realized what she was getting at.

"Ayako, the slave owners were vampires. The reason why they fought for the South was to keep their slaves like the other slave owners who were human. They the humans by acting like a slave owner who wanted to keep their slaves out of greed, but they truly wanted them for blood, not money; slaves were an easy way for any vampire to drink blood. They could have as much as they wanted; if they killed one or two or even tens of them, nobody on their side would care because they were slaves. Do you see now? The hunters made up the North, and the vampires the South. Alfeegi, as I said was one of the most feared among the vampires. He proved this at the battle of Gettysburg. He himself fought against General Robert E. Lee, who was 'big surprise', the vampire king. My great-great-grandfather himself was disguised as General George Gordon Meade. As you know, the battle was won by the Union. The VK had to retreat because the of wounded soldiers he had, not to mention all the wounds my ancestor gave him as well. Though the VK very easily could have defeated my G-G-Grandfather by revealing himself to all and using his powers, the results would have been catastrophic to both the humans and the vampire races; vampire hunters across the world would know the VK's whereabouts, and then the whole world would know about the vampire existence. If they knew that, then more and more people would fight against him, thus he retreated."

Mai paused for a moment to take a quick glance around the room to see if everybody was following before she proceeded with her tale.

"Though after that, word spread through the vampric ear that their king was too weak; that he had betrayed them by not being able to defeat my grandfather, a measly human. They began to loose faith in him, and the result of that was a Union victory, and the Confederacy's, no… the vampire's defeat. As the years went on, my grandfather continued to hunt for the VK, but to no avail. No doubt the VK had hidden himself away somewhere once again, waiting for the right moment to strike. Over the years, my ancestor began to think that he had given up, or that he had died from all the injuries that he had inflicted on the king. My G-G-grandfather made that mistake of being blinded by his confidence, pride and arrogance, which later brought on his defeat. But before any of that took place, Alfeegi married a woman named Christa who five years later gave birth to a boy named Reese who only lived long enough to get his childhood friend Susan pregnant. Alfeegi and Christa died when the VK attacked on his 67th birthday, and killed Reese as he was defending his parents; his parents hadn't gone through the trouble of teaching him how to fight vampires because they had believed the king was dead. After Susan heard of their deaths, she fled the country and went to Europe. There she was able to hold down a job and raise her child, Jane for about 7 years until the vampire king too killed her when he found her in Spain. Though hours before her death, Susan had left Jane in the care of the church while she had gone to run an errand far away from the village she lived in. The church leaders got word of Susan's death plus of how she died; drained of every drop of blood in her body. The church then saw it fit to raise Jane as a hunter of vampires, to avenge her mother's death. On her 17th birthday, she encountered the VK and fought him for hours with no success of even giving him a scratch. She was exhausted from all the injuries she had sustained, and blacked out. She told me that the last thing she heard was the vampire's scream and a gunshot. When she awoke she was in a bed in a house that she couldn't recognize with all these gadgets and weapons of which she later found out were all for hunting vampires. The man who the house belonged to, was named Kyo, and fancy this, was also a vampire hunter. My mom had described him as cunning, and out-going, but most of the time a major pain in the ass."

Mai laughed to herself at this,

"And he was also-"

"Wait! Your mom? What? Where does she come in?" The monk seemed to get more and more confused as Mai's story wore on.

Mai looked up to face Monk-san, smiled at herself again, and said, "Oh, I didn't mention it? Jane was my mother."

"WHAT?!" Monk-san obviously didn't see that coming while everyone else just sighed or in Ayako's case rolled her eyes and said, "Oh come on Monk-san, even I figured that out by Mai's generations of Great-grandparents ancestry."

"Can we just continue?" John inquired.

"Yes, lets. I want to get this over with as soon as possible because…" Mai's sentence was never finished fore she bowed her head, took a deep breath, and just proceeded to tell her past, "Well to sum it up, Kyo made my mother stay with him as payment for saving her life by killing the renowned vampire king. Don't get me wrong it wasn't like that!"

Mai put her hands in front of her face when she got surprised looks from the people around her, "He wanted her to stay with him so he could protect her, and teach her more fighting techniques, since obviously she didn't know enough to defeat a vampire of a high level. She stayed with him for three years, and on the third, Kyo asked her to marry him, and they got married a year later. The year after that, they moved to Japan, my father's home country and settled down. They had me, and my older brother Rykoko; they taught us both how to fight against vampires even though the VK was dead. My mother and father didn't want to repeat the incident with Reese. They were very right in doing so, because eight years ago, a vampire attacked our home. He was successful in killing my father and mother, while my brother and I were told to escape. They vampire caught up with us, in the process of protecting me, my brother was killed. That day was Halloween, the _night of the red moon_. The night when all vampires are at their strongest, and are immune anything and everything besides the holiest substance on Earth: holy water. This was how I was barely able to save myself. I was really the only person in my family who went to church on a regular basis, and I did this so I could take some holy water home each time I went. I did this so I could, I don't know 'Stock up'? In any case, I always carried some with me." To prove her point, she slipped her hand into her jacket pocket and brought out a small bottle that held a clear substance.

"And on the night of the red moon after my brother was killed, I was successful in drenching the vampire's chest with holy water, though only after he had begun to drink my blood. After I threw the holy water at him, he fled, saying he would fight me as man times as necessary to kill me. What happened afterwards, I really can't remember… It's mostly all a big jumble… All I know for sure is that I took the vampire-killing weapons from my house, hid them in our back yard and ran to the police. I was able to find a job a couple years later as a vampire hunter. It was and still is very good paying job, so I was able to live off a kill for years before I had to have another assignment. Right now, I'm living off a vampire that I killed two years ago."

The room was silent until Ayako got up from her chair and hugged Mai.

"You mean to say that you're hiding this from all of us until now? Mai! We have known each other for years now, and yet you never trusted us?"

Mai looked at Ayako with sad eyes and told her, "Ayako, I didn't want you to get involved… The vampires they… they're dangerous and really it's my life that is cursed, not yours. Everyone, if I got you involved, I didn't know what to expect from the curse. I didn't know if it would rub off on you, or if you would be hunted down by the same vampire that I have been attacked by… Besides, you're not hunters. Hunters are hated and feared by all vampires. And if I got you involved, with me, _a hunter_, they would certainly track you all down until you were all killed."

"Mai. Who is this vampire that attacked your family?" Mai glanced at Naru, "And what curse? The one that was put on your great-great-great-grandfather hundreds of years before? Shouldn't it have ended when your own father killed the very vampire that bestowed the curse on your family?"

"Yes Naru. It should have. But that's another thing my family didn't anticipate. You see, while my ancestors were having children, so was the vampire king. He had a son Ryushi; the _prince_, of the vampires."


	4. The Boy Angel

**Looking over my reviews/ides/such I came across one that really was great in it's simplicity. Koodos to XxmotojixX**

"When there is trust, betrayal isn't far behind."

And that's exactly what Mai found.

When I look back at my childhood, there was an equal balance of good and bad. Sometimes it shifted one way, and another the opposite way. On one of those good overpowering occasions, I felt as if I was under some sort of a trance.

_Ten years earlier_

Roaring cars and empty playgrounds was all that a six-year old Mai could find. Lost in her tears and fright from being separated from her family during the Cherry blossom festival, she wandered aimlessly looking for some clue.

A clue that could point her in the right direction; one that would guide her back to her family. But all she had found was a dime, face down in the dirt. What had her mother said? "Life starts on the dime"? Well she certainly couldn't pay for bus passage with a dime, but the shine that coin gave off in the dimming sky eased some of her fear. Some. Dimming sky meant dimming light, which meant that darkness would soon follow; a thing that had been drilled into her head since birth.

And as a boy stepped around the slide that she sat on she really began to worry about its meaning. This being that stood before her held a look of surprise and looked as if he was having an internal battle about something that Mai couldn't even begin to imagine. This boy was and angel. A too beautiful angel, with straight, lengthy black hair and too blue eyes.

"Hey little girl. You lost?" The boy-man-teenager- crouched down so that his face was level with hers. "Hey don't be scared, Ryushi will get you home safe and sound."

He ruffled her hair as he smiled sincerely at her.

"I want mommy." Mai stated. She crossed her arms and pouted, trying to look firm, but tears began to fall from her eyes as soon as this boy/man responded, saying, "Of course you do" with such warmth, that she couldn't help but let the tears fall and wailing be heard.

He picked her up gently and rocked her back and forth as she grasped his shirt in that death grip that babies and toddlers are only capable of.

"Alright your okay now sssshhhhh. What's your name baby-face? Where do you live?"

"On sixty-six street in a brick house with my mommy and daddy and br-brother.."

"Uh-huh ok what your name though hun?" Mai just looked up at the stranger. She was told never to give her name to anybody especially her real one; especially in her case with their family curse and all. A side note :in the case of hunter families, they created so many aliases that at times they forgot what their birth names were. But Mai was young, and still knew her real name along with how to spell it. And so she gave it to the stranger.

"Mai Taniyama." She felt the man come to a complete halt, and his arms held her tighter now. She looked up at the man who had his "internal battle" face back on and started to cry again.

"Taniyama you say? Hmmmm cute it fits you well." He smiled at her and began to walk again. Though his face was kind and caring his eyes told a different story. His eyes held hers where they were. She was frightened and began to squirm in his arms, her heart doubling its pace; a sound that was deafening to her ears. The man's eyes widened and he blinked in time to her heartbeat for several seconds before her shook his head and said,

"Come on, let's get you home."


	5. Babyface

As the pair approached sixty-sixth street, they passed shops, cars, late-night shoppers and busy-buddies, all heading to their set destinations not caring to realize just how low the sun was sloped in the sky; barely a slit of red in the horizon.

As the pair, one handsome teen, appearing 17-18 cradling a girl of six, sleeping peacefully, wound through the streets of Tokyo, the temperature began to drop. Others soon joined in with the crowds of busy-buddies, going unnoticed to all but Ryushi.

He grips his temporary charge tightly as one approaches him as he rounds the corner.

"M'Lord-" Ryushi slammed him into the alley wall before he could otter another word.

"Comrade… what do you think your doing? You're not supposed to be anywhere near here tonight. Do you not like your assignment?" Ryushi glared down at the man at his feet.

"M'lord I'm sorry have mercy, but the girl-the girl-why haven't you? Shibuya Industries have begun to…!?" This time Ryushi used his hands to slam the man into the wall.

"Tell me one more time why I shouldn't kill you now. Because you're way out of line Comrade." He smirked as the man whimpered in pain and fear.

"I will kill whoever, wherever, and whenever I like. Do you disagree? I know very well that the Shibuyas have…realized something… but in the case of the Taniyama family… well, their future lies in my hands and don't you worry your stupid head about it! Though…

"Tell me comrade, what do we want from the family? Hmm?" Ryushi purred, eyes turning red with fury.

"We want the females' blood –HUH! Ahhh!" The man lost his right arm.

"No. I want the females' blood! You don't want anything but my mercy! Get out of my sight!" Still clutching Mai, he quickly rid the man of his other arm and head; the man burst into million pieces of sparkling dust.

"Hmph" Ryushi smirked as he remembered his father's commanding voice, naming Ryushi, his second eldest son, his successor.

"Yahhhh…." Mai yawned in his arms and he snapped back to the present. He stroked her cheek with his thumb and kissed her forehead, trying to ignore the burning in his throat.

"Oh Mai… You cute little thing…" He exited the alley, and headed for Sixty-sixth Street once again.

"Oh god this is gonna take so long... how in the world did she get so far away? Ahh screw it..." Ryushi couldn't ignore his thirst any longer. He entered the closest shop and headed for the most secluded area. _Hamlet, Romero and Juliet, Othello, The Tempest… Hmm… seems I entered a bookstore. Perfect. The shelves will hide me._ Making sure no one was in his aisle of bookshelves, and no cameras were pointed at him, he closed his eyes, held Mai the tighest he dared and whispered a transpirations spell.

A few nauseating seconds later he appeared in front of Mai's three story home-four stories counting the basement which he knew they had since all hunters had to have a sanctuary- and smiled sadly as he realized that he would have to part with Mai; even for this short amount of time-he looked further. No it would be a very, _very_ long time. He brought her sleeping face up to his own and kissed her forehead one more time and whispered.

"_Baby-face… This your house darlin?"_ Mai opened her eyes that widened at the closeness of this strangers face. She relaxed as her memory of the night took over and looked over he shoulder.

"Yep…I live here with mommy and daddy…" Mai yawned as she leaned back into Ryushi's chest.

"Whoa there... Hey hey, you gotta go inside now I'm sure everybody's worried sick. Heeey, come on now wake up, wake up." He bounced her in his arms slightly and he laughed as she made a face at him. He set her down, and she yawned again, closing her eyes tight.

"Why can't you just carry me in? Hey why not-? Where'd you go? Hey... HEY! You meanie! HMPH! FINE!" Mai turned around and stomped up to her front door, but stopped to look over her shoulder before she climbed the front steps. The place where the boy Ryushi had left her was still empty. Where had he gone? Oh well she was too tired to think. She Knocked on the door and yelled a few times.

It burst open and her mother grabbed her sobbing, followed by her father.

"Where have you been? Your brother is still looking for you! Do you know how worried we were? We even had to stoop as low as to call the police for help! How in the world-… Mai, what…?" Her father had tousled her hair while her mother was yelling at her and a sheet of sparkling dust fell from her hair. Mai sneezed.

"Eeeeeewww what is that stuff? Eeewyy mommy! I wanna bath! Mommy! Pay attention! Eeeeeewww!" Mai continued to yell and "eww", making her miss the look of horror her father and mother exchanged. Her mother rushed through the front door, her father locking it firmly behind them.

"Mommy? I said I wanted a bath. Why are we going into the basement? Where is Daddy going? Why-"

"To call your brother. He's still out there searching for you, you know. Hmm, and I thought that we should spend a night in Sanctuary since this night has held nothing but worries for us all darling." Her mother set her down on the couch in Sanctuary, and started to brush out the remaining specks of dust.

"But I wanna sleep in my bed…"

"Who-hoo come one baby-face, you know these walls are sound proof," her father knocked on the metal panels for affect, "we can party it up all night!"

Mai's forehead creased at the familiar nickname and remembered. At the same time Ryushi leaned against an oak outside her house. Smirking. Picking off wildflower petals one at a time. Watching them float in the strengthening breeze. Waiting for the moon to hang just a bit higher in the sky. It was already pink. It was almost time. It was _almost time_.


	6. A violent Love has a violent Death

"These violent delights have violent ends 

And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,

Which as they kiss consume." 

_**Remember this Mai…**_

Eyes flew open.

Head turns.

Hands sweat.

Breath's fogged.

Body comfortable.

Breathe ragged.

Heart erotic.

Heart skips a beat.

Then another.

Then another.

Another

Another.

Eyes adjust.

Eyes search

Heart stops.

Eyes scan.

Breathe stops.

Eyes find.

Heart begins again.

Eyes relax.

Lips. Twitch.

Tongue graces lips.

Eyes close.

The unconscious becomes the conscious.

Eyes fly open.

Voice is heard.

Fortunately? Unfortunately?

"Its been a while Mai…" it said softly. Yes, _it_ was the right word, "Too long if you ask me."

Body sits up.

Legs swing over bed.

Arms reach out.

To be held.

Lovingly.

Something that he wasn't supposed to be capable of.

"Mai… Answer me please…. I-"

Lips find lips.

Arms touch coldness that is deceivingly warm.

Sigh escapes lips.

Lips that touched the devil.

Lips that never belonged to her in the first place.

Lips she never wanted to leave.

Lips that wanted her.

Her love.

Her blood.

Her _soul_.

"_Ryushi_…"

"Ahh!" Mai bolted up, heaving, grasping her chest. "it hurts… it hurts.. it was just a dream… Just a dream… Just a bad memeory…No nonononono…" Mai Taniyama succumbed to her tears.


End file.
